CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Jets’ first-round draft pick, safety Calvin Pryor, left Saturday’s training camp practice after sustaining a head injury. Coach Rex Ryan said the Jets are not sure yet if Pryor has a concussion. The Jets announced immediately after practice, and before Ryan’s press conference, that Pryor was being evaluated for a head injury.

During position drills at the Jets’ first full-pads practice, Pryor jogged off the field with head trainer John Mellody. They hopped on a cart and drove toward the locker room area. Pryor later returned to the practice field during team periods, but was not wearing a jersey or pads. He stood on the sideline, wearing a hat, and sat out the rest of practice.

Pryor is competing for playing time, and one of two starting spots, with Dawan Landry and Antonio Allen, who got the bulk of the action with the first team in his absence.

Pryor has long enjoyed a reputation as a hard hitter. On Saturday, he was on the receiving end of a blow while serving as the personal protector for the punter in a drill, Ryan said. Jets observers were anticipating Pryor’s participation in Saturday’s practice, because it was the first real opportunity to see him deliver a hit, even though tackling to the ground is not allowed. But as it turned out, Pryor barely participated in the practice.

“You know the new protocol is that if we know there is a concussion, you guys will know about it immediately,” Ryan told reporters. “So don’t think we’re covering something up. As of right now, we don’t know if it’s a concussion or not. But it was a head injury, and obviously, when those things happen, you’re always going to side on being cautious. So that’s what we’re doing. Whether it’s a concussion or not, I’m not sure. We’ll see how that progresses.”

As for why Pryor, a valuable potential starter, was blocking for the punter, Ryan addressed that topic during his Friday press conference.

"I just know (Pryor) will be playing an awful lot (on defense), whether he’s a starter or whatever," Ryan said. "He is going to play a bunch, and not just on defense. He’ll play on special teams, as will Landry, Antonio Allen, all of our guys. I’d like to be a dominant special teams unit as well. We’re going to put great players on those units, and Calvin certainly will be on that. And again, obviously he will have a big impact on our defense."

The Jets went through a head injury-related issue last year at training camp. Joe McKnight, a running back who was released late last August, suffered a blow to his head. The Jets responded by saying only that he had a “head injury.” They did say he was being evaluated under the NFL’s concussion assessment protocol, but declined to say if he had an actual concussion.

The NFL now takes concussions seriously. The league is still in the middle of a multi-million dollar concussion lawsuit dispute with former players.

Ryan described the play on which Pryor hurt his head like this: “He came in there and had a good collision, so it’s not like you can say he got dinged or whatever. But ‘dinged’ now means you be cautious and do what’s in the best interest of the young man. That’s where we’re at.”

Last year against the Raiders, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie sustained what might have been a concussion, but he was not immediately evaluated for a concussion after the play, even though he likely should have been, according to the NFL’s concussion protocol. If you want to read the NFL’s concussion guidelines, the entire document is at the bottom of this post.